Means for supplying steam and air to the fuel of combustion engines



E.' M. POWERS SUPPLYING STEAM AND AIR T0 THE FUEL 0F COMBUSTION ENGINESMEANS FOR Filed Dec. 30, 1922 INVENTOR EDGAR M0 POWERS @224 PatentedFeb. 17, 1925.

; UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

Benson. ALL or COLUMBUS, onto.

assIe-Noa or roun-ivm'rns T oscan c. awn onn mnrn'ro M. J.

MEANS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM AND AIR TO THE FUEL OF COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed December 30, 1922. Serial No. 609,807.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR M. Pownns, a

"citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county ofFranklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Means for Supplying Steam and Air to the Fuel ofCombustion Engines, of which the following is a specification. i i

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction ofmeans for sup plying steam and air to the intake manifold of an internalcombustion engine such as used on motor vehicles whereby an abundance ofsteam in a highly heated state is delivered thereby promoting thecombustion of the explosive gas and at the same time mitigating theaccumulation of carbon in the engine.

The invention is embodied in the example herein shown and described, thefeatures of novelty being finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 isa side elevation of a Fordengine showing the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is largely a vertical sectional view of the boiler and reservoiron the line llll Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the outer end of the boiler.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the face of the boss on the side of thereservoir where the connection is made with the boiler.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line VV Fig. 2-, looking down.

In the views 6 designates the boiler, it being a hollow structurepreferably having an upwardly extending nose provided with an internalweb 7 extending part way across.

the chamber so as to permit the entrance of the steam and air pipe. Theweb 7 consti' tutes abreak to prevent the splash of water to the chamberabove it. The shank of the boiler is externally threaded to engage athreaded hole in the engine exhaust pipe 8. The form of the boiler issuch that it projects as much as practicable into the exhaust so that itshall receive a large measure of heat. The outer end of the boiler isshown as provided with a hexagonal opening 9 to receive a wrench forturning it home in the threaded opening referred to.

designates the water reservoir which.

receives its supply through a pipe 11 having one end tapping the waterjacket of the engine and the other end connected with a sediment chamber12 at the lower end of the reservoir. Where the sediment chambercommunicates with the reservoir there is a valve seat 13 on which closesa valve 14* having a stem' 14 extending upward into the reservoir andaround said stem and movable independently thereof is a float 15. Thecover 16 of the reservoir is equipped with a pair of levers 17 pivotedthereto the shorter arms ofwhich project between and engage collars 18on the stem so that when the float rises the longer arms of the leversare lifted and the shorter arms depressed thereby closing the valve 1 1and cutting off the flow of water to the reservoir. The longer arms ofthe levers are made relatively heavy so that when the level of the wateris lowered below the normal the valve 14 is lifted off its seat by theaction of the levers and more water admitted to the reservoir. The con.-struction of the parts therefore is such that the level of the water isnormally and automatically maintained at about the height in dicated inthe drawing so as to leave an ample free space above it in the boilerfor the collection of steam and air.

The reservoir is provided at one side with a boss 19 externally threadedto receive a union 2O turning on the boiler for connecting water-tightlythe reservoir with the outer end of the boiler. Communication of thereservoir with the boiler is established by means of an angular passage21 extending from near the bottom of the reservoir up through the sidewall thereof and through the boss 19. The said boss and wall is alsomade with a steam and air passage 22 of angular form, said passagehaving connected with it at the boss end a bent pipe 23 that dips downinto the water of the boiler and thence extends upward past the web 7 inthe nose of the boiler before referred to. The pipe 23 is open at itsinner end or it may be provided with small screening perforations topermit the passages of steam and air from the boiler chamber. The otheror outer end of the passage 22 has con; nected with it one end of a pipe24: that is tapped at its other end into the intake manifold of theengine. The pipe 123, passage 21 and pipe 24:with the connection of pipe24;

with passage 22constitute the conductor for the mixedjheatednairandlsteam to/the in take manifold of the engine. The wall ofthereservo-ir and the boss are perforated with two inclined passages 25to permit the flow ofa-ir from the reservoir into the boiler such airbeing admitted from the atmosphere to the reservoir through one or moresmall perforations 26 in the reservoir cover 16.

In operation it will be observed that because the boiler projectsextensively into the exhaust-manifold steam is rapidly :generated. Itwill alsobe observedthatthe suction of themanifold draws both the steamand air through asingle and cominonqentrance Within the boiler. Becauseof this construction the air becomes equally heated with the steam andthere is a minimum of cooling and condensing effectafter themixtureenters the pipe 24. I haverfound t quite important, if not absolutelynecessarv, for the successful use of steam 'and air to introduce .it tothe manifold intake of the engine in a highly heated state, such as producedby my invention. Furthermore with my construction the admission ofair does not, of course, interfere with the suction on the steam, asbot-hare drawn together.

The forms of the parts can be changed Without departing from the gist ofthe invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

Means for supplying steam mixed with airtotheintake-of a gas enginehaving an exhaust pipe, comprising, in combination, a Water reservoir,awsteain generator receiving Water from the reservoir-and havinga closedend extending horizontally into said exhaust pipe, :means forautomatically "regulating the Water in said-steam generator to-st-and ata level below-the upper Wall of thegenerator so as to leave a free spacetherein for the collectionof steani and air,;means for conductingatmospheric air to said-free space, and'a conductor'for thesteam and airfrom said free space at a point in proximity to the closed end'of thesteam-generator to the manifold intake of-the engine.

